Hair

Today was me time.  I left work this morning and went straight to the hair salon.  A couple of hours later, a hair cut, some highlights and a new spring in my step.  What is it about a woman's hair?

I happened by accident to watch the last part of a tv show tonight I had not seen in ages, "What Not to Wear."  The woman who had consented to the make-over was from Texas.  I worked in Texas for around 12 years and she was very typical of many of the women I saw around the Dallas area when I was there.  Big, long, blonde hair, low cut shirt, flashy jewelry, heavy make-up, but this woman on the show had gone through a divorce, had a job and was looking for someone to date.  She agreed to the make-over and took the $5,000 dollar check.

I saw the end of the show, her clothing was so much more sophisticated, make-up was softened and hair was cut.  She looked 15 years younger.  She was not happy.  She hated her hair.
They asked her to live with the look for a few weeks.  At the end, she went to a salon, had hair extensions put in and looked the same as she did before the make-over.  It was interesting to watch this show.

Years ago I worked for a major make-up company as a traveling make-up artist.  The woman that was on the show, I had met hundreds like her when I was doing make-up.  We get stuck in ruts.  We have a look that worked for us when we were 25 or when we were happy, or when we were thin or married.  We cling to that hair style or clothing or make-up way after it is no longer appropriate or relevant.  Change is scary and we think we want it, but really all we want is to hold on to that magic that we experienced when the look we have worked so well for us.

I had long flowing hair when I was young.  It suited me.  But my hair was not me.  As the years went by, I changed.  My hair has been chopped to within an inch of my scalp, it has been dark, permed, etc.
Sometimes I have loved it, and there have been times that I too cried about the hair I saw in the mirror.  But my mantra was, it's just hair it will grow back.

Friends who have lost their hair because of disease or treatment have told me that it was devastating, to see themselves without their hair.  I understand.  Most of us (women) see our hair as an extension of who we are.  I know that when I have a good hair day, life rocks.  When I think my hair is crappy,
my self-esteem drops.  I envy the women who shave their heads, throw on some red lipstick and walk out the door glowing.  This attachment to hair is nothing new and I think women will deal with it for a very long time.  Hair is a security blanket for many of us.  For those of you who have let go of that attachment, let me know how you did it.